Bard grad released as part of US-Russia prisoner swap

Sasha Skochilenko has been released after being incarcerated in a Russian prison for more than two years for the act of placing anti-war leaflets, disguised as price tags, on goods in a grocery store in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Photo courtesy of Amnesty International Vlaanderen.

A Bard College graduate was one of the prisoners released from Russia last week as part of the 12-person exchange, which also included American journalist Evan Gershkovich and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan.

Alexandra “Sasha” Skochilenko, Bard and Smolny College class of 2017, had been imprisoned since March 2022 for the act of placing anti-war leaflets, disguised as price tags, on goods in a grocery store in Saint Petersburg, Russia.  

A case study prepared by Sofia Semenova, a Bard Human Rights major, documented the harsh conditions of Skochilenko’s imprisonment and its effects on her physical and mental health.

In a statement following the release, Jonathan Becker, Bard College’s Executive Vice President and Bard’s former Dean for Smolny College, said, “Sasha has demonstrated both the creativity and determination that we hope to see in our graduates. We are profoundly thankful that she is now out of prison, and only hope that others currently incarcerated in Russia for their courageous stand against the ongoing war are also released.”

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Sources: https://health.westchestergov.com/images/stories/NEWS/2024july30wnvfoundinwestchester.pdf

https://www.orangecountygov.com/civicalerts.aspx?AID=2121

https://www.cdc.gov/west-nile-virus/about/index.html

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